Zendai Himalayas Center
Shanghai, China · 2010
Photo · Hisao Suzuki
A major precedent for integrating highly organic, sculptural concrete forms with rationalist, stacked glass volumes in a large-scale urban development.
- What we like about this project
- The transition from a highly organic, cave-like concrete base directly into clean, minimalist glass boxes.
Materials
- concrete
- glass
- granite
- steel
Visual identifiers
- organic-concrete
- screen-facade
- stacked-volumes
- sculptural-podium
Style tags
- expressionist
- contemporary
- high-tech
- sculptural
Visual tags
- mixed-use
- monumental
- parametric-screen
- sculptural-architecture
- urban-block
- Geometry
- A massive, organic, cave-like concrete podium supports a series of stacked, orthogonal, rectilinear glass and stone volumes that shift slightly in plan.
- Facade system
- Parametric concrete screen wall on the lower levels, with unitized glass curtain wall and stone cladding above.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete core with a complex, organic concrete shell structure at the base and steel-framed upper volumes.
- Spatial scale
- Large-scale mixed-use development spanning several city blocks, with a multi-story podium and high-rise towers.
- Lighting
- Even, diffused daylight under an overcast sky, minimizing harsh shadows and highlighting the texture of the concrete screen.
- Atmosphere
- A striking contrast between fluid, hand-carved organic forms and rigid, modern corporate geometry.
- Environmental context
- Sited along a wide urban boulevard in Shanghai with mid-rise residential towers in the background.
- Spatial experience
- At street level, the building presents a highly textured, sculptural screen wall and organic cavernous openings, while the upper levels transition into clean, monumental corporate blocks.
- Composition rhythm
- The lower podium features an intricate, non-repeating organic lattice, while the upper towers follow a strict, modular grid of glass and stone panels.
- Style reading
- Contemporary sculptural expressionism combined with high-tech rationalism
- Program
- Mixed-use cultural, hotel, and commercial center
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- concrete, glass, granite, steel
- Visual identifiers
- organic-concrete, screen-facade, stacked-volumes, sculptural-podium
- Style tags
- expressionist, contemporary, high-tech, sculptural
- Visual tags
- mixed-use, monumental, parametric-screen, sculptural-architecture, urban-block
- Geometry
- A massive, organic, cave-like concrete podium supports a series of stacked, orthogonal, rectilinear glass and stone volumes that shift slightly in plan.
- Facade system
- Parametric concrete screen wall on the lower levels, with unitized glass curtain wall and stone cladding above.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete core with a complex, organic concrete shell structure at the base and steel-framed upper volumes.
- Spatial scale
- Large-scale mixed-use development spanning several city blocks, with a multi-story podium and high-rise towers.
- Lighting
- Even, diffused daylight under an overcast sky, minimizing harsh shadows and highlighting the texture of the concrete screen.
- Atmosphere
- A striking contrast between fluid, hand-carved organic forms and rigid, modern corporate geometry.
- Environmental context
- Sited along a wide urban boulevard in Shanghai with mid-rise residential towers in the background.
- Spatial experience
- At street level, the building presents a highly textured, sculptural screen wall and organic cavernous openings, while the upper levels transition into clean, monumental corporate blocks.
- Composition rhythm
- The lower podium features an intricate, non-repeating organic lattice, while the upper towers follow a strict, modular grid of glass and stone panels.
- Style reading
- Contemporary sculptural expressionism combined with high-tech rationalism
- Program
- Mixed-use cultural, hotel, and commercial center
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture